DOVER, Tenn. — Stewart County is days away from opening its new $7.5 million jail after a federal court limited the number of inmates that could be housed in the current overcrowded jail.
“I’m restricted to 18 inmates,” Sheriff Deryk Wyatt said while standing in the lobby of the new 128-bed facility. “That’s all males, I’m not allowed to house any females.”
He estimated having about 60 inmates in his custody, and of course, most are housed in jails surrounding counties.
The new jail, which included separate sections for corrections and administration, should take care of the county’s needs for jail space well into the future. And because of its design and forethought, the capacity can be doubled by building another housing that would be the mirror image of the one now awaiting prisoners.

Costs for such an expansion will be lower because the jail’s infrastructure is already set up to accommodate twice as many inmates and because of construction features such as masonry that will make cutting walls to add windows easier.
“The county has invested a lot in this building, and it’s our hope and expectation that it will be here for a minimum of 50 years,” Wyatt said.

A total of 72 security cameras can be monitored in central control that will be staffed by two officers around the clock.(Photo: Mark Hicks/The Stewart Houston Times)

Building design
In the meantime, the county will have a recurring cost of 16 additional corrections officers to staff larger facility. Even so, the building’s design for the corrections side helps keep down the number of extra jailers required.
For example, central control is staffed with only two officers around the clock, which is also the case in the control tower for the jail’s four housing pods.
Central control has monitors for all of the facility’s 72 security cameras, and operators have the ability to move and zoom many of them with a joystick.

Security cameras can be controlled with a joystick inside central control where all locks within the jail can also be controlled.(Photo: Mark Hicks/The Stewart Houston Times)

The only areas not covered by cameras is restrooms and the administrative side of the building where various offices will be located for the Sheriff’s Office, as well as an office for District Attorneys and the Drug Task Force.
Central control also contains electronic controls for all of the locks within the building.
“They can allow access to different areas without ever leaving the room,” Wyatt said.

A control tower for the housing areas features large windows so officers can see inside, as well as video monitors and various controls.(Photo: Mark Hicks/The Stewart Houston Times)

In the housing area, a second-floor observation deck has full-length windows that allow officers to see into both male pods, the female cell area and a higher security pod that has individual two-man cells.
The general population pods have 32 dorm-style bunks on a second-floor level over showers, toilets and sinks located below. Beyond a separating half-wall are metal tables and affixed seating for 36 inmates in an open common area.

Inmates can eat at metal tables in a common area of the housing areas. To the left are three stools for inmates using video terminals during visitation.(Photo: Mark Hicks/The Stewart Houston Times)

Also in the common area are two stools at video terminals for visitation. Across from central control is a visitation area with a similar terminal for the public just off the main lobby.
“The inmates never have to leave their cell,” the sheriff said, indicating that visitation and meals are all done within the housing area. “There is no face-to-face visits. In fact, the inmates have no public contact, only corrections officers. It keeps down the contraband.”
Back in the control tower, officers can open and lock the individual cells in the security pod, and they monitor cameras in all of the housing areas. Wyatt said fixed cameras are not pointed directly at toilets and showers, however.
Additionally, provisions are made for handicapped prisoners with two bunks on the main floor and a hand-held shower and fold-down bench.

Safety features
Some suicide prevention features are also built into the showers, which have breakaway curtains and breakaway robe hooks that are mounted about 4 feet from the floor.
Some fire safety features are included in the housing area, such as an emergency exit into a fenced-in area and a massive exhaust fan to quickly clear smoke.
“It does 41 air exchanges an hour for this room,” said Bryan Parkhill, project superintendent for construction manager Lashlee Rich of Humbolt. “Only six is required.”
During testing by the state fire marshal, the housing pods were filled with smoke and the fans cleared them in about 10 seconds, he added.
To meet the requirement for natural light in the cell areas, a large window is located about 15 feet up an exterior wall.
For the fresh air requirement, an outside area of about 1,000 square feet with tall chain-link fencing topped with Concertina wire is located near the entrances to each pod. The control tower above also has a window and cameras to monitor the area.

Inmates will be permitted to use an outdoor recreation area.(Photo: Mark Hicks/The Stewart Houston Times)

When weather prohibits use of the outdoor area, an indoor recreation and program room is available. It is large enough to hold maybe 20 to 30 inmates, and Wyatt said stadium seating is planned for it. The space will accommodate church services, drug and alcohol classes, as well as GED preparation classes.

Before ever reaching the housing areas, people must first be processed through the booking area.
Vehicles hauling someone in custody would first enter a fenced in area where the gate is opened from central control. A bay door for an enclosed sally port will not open until the gate is closed and secure.
Inside the heated sally port, which can fit two patrol cars, officers have lockers for their firearms before bringing in the person they have arrested. Like the first layer of security, they enter a room with another door that will not unlock until the other locks behind them.

A holding cell in the booking area is equipped with a sink/toilet, concrete bench and drain in the middle of the floor.(Photo: Mark Hicks/The Stewart Houston Times)

The booking area has four holding cells with concrete benches, a toilet/sink and windows in the doors so officers can see inside. There are also two detox cells – one each for males and females – with larger windows so officers can watch highly-intoxicated people. Arresting officers are provided an area where they can fill out reports. Booking officers in an elevated desk take information from the arrestees. A small room is located off the booking area where they can meet with bondsmen from behind a glass and talk via telephones. Those who are not released on bond, then shower in an area behind the booking desk and are issued jail clothes from an adjoining room through a large drawer. The jail administrator has an office in the area and employees have a break room and restrooms in the booking area.

Open house
Wyatt said work on the jail is about 95 percent complete with only final tweaking of electronics like computers and the phone system remaining.
He plans to move in sometime after Jan. 1, but a specific date has not been set.
However, it won’t be before Jan. 9 when the sheriff is planning an open house from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
He encourages residents to visit the new jail to see what their tax dollars bought.
“I’ve been telling people it’s their opportunity to see the jail facility without being in trouble,” Wyatt said. Mark Hicks can be reached at 931-212-7626 or on Twitter: @markhicksleaf.

Each housing area has showers that feature breakaway curtains and low-mounted robe hooks as a suicide prevention.(Photo: Mark Hicks/The Stewart Houston Times)

Sinks and toilets are located below a dorm area with bunks in the new Stewart County Detention Center.(Photo: Mark Hicks/The Stewart Houston Times)

Stewart County Sheriff Deryk Wyatt show the laundry room for the new jail. The jail can be expanded to double the number of inmates but only another washer and dryer will have to be purchased to accommodate the expansion.(Photo: Mark Hicks/The Stewart Houston Times)

Sheriff Deryk Wyatt lifts the lid of a large pot in the kitchen of the new Stewart County Detention Center(Photo: Mark Hicks/The Stewart Houston Times)

A room set up for members of the public to visit with inmates is equipped with a video terminal that connects with a similar terminal in the jail's housing area.(Photo: Mark Hicks/The Stewart Houston Times)